Book picks similar to
Shattered by Heather D'Agostino


new-adult
romance
cheating
contemporary

When Stars Burn Out


Carrie Aarons - 2018
    So slowly that each layer burning out feels like agony … or suddenly, exploding into a million pieces before the universe even has a grasp of what is happening.When Paxton Shaw left Demi Rosen without so much as a goodbye, he stole her shine in both manners.Now, eight years later, he’s trying to pull her back into his orbit. The nation’s most beloved football player, a tight end with a seriously tight end, has finally realized Demi is the one who got away.But she’s a different woman than the weak girl who used to come running whenever he called in the middle of the night. Strong, successful, her life’s mission being to grant the wishes of children whose flames have all but been extinguished.And untouchable, as dark and cold as a midnight sky with no moon in sight.When one special child forces their star-crossed paths to collide, it’s impossible to keep the feelings of their past buried. Paxton had been her Halley’s Comet; the once in a lifetime love that scorched Demi’s heart in the most spectacular of fashions.She promised herself she would never make that mistake again. But, how can she forget the dreams of love she once had, when Paxton wants to make them come true?

Tease


Missy Johnson - 2013
    Genre: Erotica*****Male escort. That got your attention. Some of the most powerful and well known women in the country pay to have sex with me, some of them married. Some are into more than just straight sex, which is why they call me. Bondage, power play, submission…nothing is off the table. I will do anything for the right price. The stories I could tell you about a certain high profile congresswoman, or that innocent blonde actress. Trust me, she’s not so innocent.Guys would kill for my job. I’m living the fucking dream. Meaningless sex, no relationship hang-ups and I’m rolling in the dough. Life is perfect, just the way it is.Until I meet her.She changes everything.She makes me want more than I’ve ever wanted for myself and she believes in me. But she also thinks I sell insurance. I can’t stop what I do, but I can’t give her up. Eventually, my two worlds are going to collide and when they do, shit will hit the fan.

A Modern Love Story


Jolyn Palliata - 2012
    Abandoned as a small child, Luc is a foul-mouthed rebel who takes it upon himself to be her defender, whether she likes it or not. As they grow up, they fumble through their different roles in each other's lives—family, confidants and then, ultimately, lovers.Just as the couple is settling into their newfound relationship, they encounter a beautiful lawyer, Payten, who is immediately taken by Luc's rough edges. But he denies her, making him absolutely irresistible in her eyes. Payten is a woman who has grown accustomed in her privileged life in obtaining whatever she wants, no matter the cost or sacrifice. And she is fairly confident Luc will eventually see things her way…one way or another.Trigger Warning: Cheating hero

Breaking Him


R.K. Lilley - 2015
    I gave it everything. And so when it failed, I lost myself.It changed me. He changed me.I went down with the ship.My soul, burnt embers in the aftermath. The fire of him ravaged it all.He burned me. Broke me.—Scarlett had always dreamed big. She was headed straight for Hollywood. Destined for silver screen greatness.But in her wildest dreams she never imagined she’d be broke and single at twenty-eight, doling drinks at thirty-five thousand feet.She was a glorified waitress in the skies.It had been years since she’d seen him.But one day, there he sat, gazing intently at her, ready to set everything ablaze once more.Dante wanted her. Again.Sure, she’d play along…but this time, it was his turn.She was breaking him.After all, love is war.

Have Mercy


N.E. Henderson - 2019
     It's hard to get over that kind of betrayal. It leaves a mark on the heart. A slow bleed that never goes away. She was my girl. We were supposed to be partners. She was going to be the mother of my children down the road. The only girl to warm my bed. She was my forever girl. Until she ran away. I thought she felt the same. But if she did she wouldn't have ditched me like I didn't matter. All the plans we made meant nothing to her. She disappeared without so much as a goodbye. Those cuts are the deepest. A gaping hole that can't be sealed. I could've stomached anything else—a meaningless one-night stand, drifting apart, vanishing love. But abandonment is a deadly strike that can't be forgotten. It sticks with you forever. Three months later she showed up, expecting me to welcome her back with open arms. Excuses, lies, not even her crying eyes could make me believe the manipulative bullshit coming out of her mouth. For months I felt like I was burning alive. She shattered my heart and stole my soul.  I moved on. Now, eighteen years later, a nightmare unfolds. Every detail makes my stomach churn. Lies come to the light. The truth is uncovered. And the people I thought I knew become strangers. The heartbreak I felt was only a scratch compared to the sliced open heart in my chest.  Winning her back seems like an impossible feat. She may never forgive me, because the thing about mercy—you have to give to receive. ***Have Mercy is a 107K word standalone, second chance love story.***

Falling for My Husband


Pamela Ann - 2013
    Richard von Berg’s last wish was for Callum to take care and marry his sister to protect her from money-grabbing men. Willingly, Callum agreed to marry secretly and become Stella’s conservator until she was at the age of twenty-six. Heiress Stella von Berg moved to London and started her new life at the age of twenty-one. For years, she harbored a crush on Callum, but he kept his distance and treated her like a child. For three years, she and her fake husband see each other once or twice a year. He lived his life and she did hers. But when his family started to demand Callum take a wife, he had no choice but to present Stella as his scapegoat. After a week together in his family estate, will Callum see his wife in a different light?

Hitting the Wall


Cate C. Wells - 2021
    She's a second chance.ShaySix years ago, the good, upstanding men of Stonecut County ran me off. I took a secret with me. An inconvenient truth they wanted buried.Actions have consequences. Their perfect golden boy maybe wasn't so perfect after all.Then life hands me one too many lemons. I'm forced to go back, and in Stonecut, nothing ever changes.Kellum Wall is still golden. I'm still unwanted. And falling for his cocksure smile will most certainly ruin my life all over again.KellumI believe there are still good men left in this world, and I strive to be one. I was raised to live by a code. God and country. Protect and serve.I always do the right thing, even when it's hard--and yet, somehow, I've made an unforgivable mistake.I want what I lost. The woman, the child, the white picket fence. But it's not gonna come easy.Shay's a survivor. She doesn't believe in happily ever after, and earning her trust might be the hardest thing I've ever done.She's got my heart in her hands, though, and this time--I'm not letting her slip through my fingers.Hitting the Wall is a steamy, small town romance featuring a secret baby and a second chance at love. It's the first book in the Stonecut County series. Intended only for adult readers.HEA guaranteed.

The Evolution of Us


D. Kelly - 2017
    Balancing one another perfectly, Holly Ryan and Declan James were together through most of college—until their relationship blew up, leaving Declan with more questions than answers.For the past two years, Declan has tried everything he can think of to earn Holly’s forgiveness, but even if he manages to help her let go of the past and give them another chance at happiness, she still has a secret. Not to mention, she can’t get over the revolving door of women he seems to have coming in and out of his apartment.Declan is desperate to prove to Holly she’s the one for him and isn’t above using his celebrity status or enlisting the help of their friends to win her back.All’s fair in love and war, right?

Chasing Butterflies


Terri E. Laine - 2016
    Laine brings a new standalone New Adult Romance novel, Chasing Butterflies, about second chances on and off the field. One night … one kiss … one touch … will change everything. Kelley Moore’s tragic home life should make him a survivor. But when he’s uprooted yet again, his plans for a better future seem impossible. Being a player on and off the football field is all he knows, until Lenora Wells. The beautiful town princess makes him feel and want things he never thought he could have… Lenora will do anything to get out of her town, even if it means dating the wrong guy. There’s one problem: she can’t stop thinking about the gorgeous, complicated boy with the unusual eyes who gives her butterflies and makes her question her choices. When their lives collide, the world shifts and not in their favor. Four years later, the sins of their past can never be taken back and forgiveness won’t come easy. College is a different game, a second chance for something better. She’s not the girl he remembers and he’s the one boy she can never forget. He’s made a name for himself as the star quarterback -- the golden boy who can do no wrong. But he’s only interested in being her hero. Despite everything, she can’t deny he still makes her heart flutter; and she’s got him chasing butterflies. *Warning this new adult romance contains adult content and language and may not be suitable for younger readers.

Fragile Bonds


Sloan Johnson - 2014
    When she walked out of the house Xavier Ross bought as their forever home, she thought she was closing that door permanently, but fate had other plans. Xavier Ross tried to keep everyone at a distance until Melanie came into his life. The more he tried to fight his feelings for her, the more he fell in love. One rash decision fractured the trust that was essential to their relationship. Six years later, she is the last person he expects to see walk through his front door. Will Xavier and Mel be able to learn to trust one another again so they can fulfill a dying woman’s wish?

Whatever It Takes


S. Jones
    I’ve moved on, married his enemy, and started my own family. Everything was perfect…until it wasn’t. My new life was a lie, and my husband turned out to be a fraud. The man that I married was now a wanted fugitive, and my ex-fiancé was the cop who was intent on making him pay. He’s convinced that a simple apology and a dimpled smile is enough to fix that broken heart that he tore apart years ago. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him at a distance. Yet, all it takes is one kiss, one touch for me to remember how great our love was before he threw it away. Little does he know that I’m not the young, foolish girl who he left behind. If he thinks he can waltz back into my life like the past never happened, he has another thing coming. I can accept that fate sent him back to me. Now, I need to assure my foolish heart that this means nothing.

Truck Stop Tango


Krissy Daniels - 2020
    I betrayed Slade Mason. Then disappeared. I’m home now. And I want her back. Trouble is, she’s lying. Keeping secrets. Pushing me away. What she doesn’t know is that not even her deception could make me leave her again. Five years ago, I made the toughest decision of my life. I did the unthinkable. Then covered my crime. Now, Tango Rossi is back. And I want him more than ever. Problem is, he wants answers I can’t give. What he doesn’t realize is that his betrayal is the very reason we can never be together.

Falling For Him


Ali Parker - 2019
     My brother’s best friend surely doesn’t after leaving home without a concern. Even when my brother died, he couldn’t handle it. Good for him. Life moves on and changes. After years of trying to make it in New York, I find myself headed back home. This time with a little girl and no hubs to help. I’m a big girl though. I can make this work in my favor. Until he shows up. And fate would have it that I’m forced to go out for coffee with him to make up for an accident I caused. He’s beyond gorgeous, a billionaire, and stares at me like I’m the only woman in the room. And he wants to help me dream again. First about business, then about love. I try to refuse, but he has this way about him. He’s bullheaded and dominant, unwilling to relent. Scarily enough, he’s exactly what I need. I’m doing the one thing I hoped I wouldn’t—falling for him. Again.

Further To Fall


Catherine Cowles - 2018
    An innocent teacher trying to make the world a better place. He never expected her to become his best friend. But she fought her way into his life, one tongue-lashing at a time. Until one night, one mistake tore them apart. Losing her… that gutted him. But now, as one of the top fighters in the world, he’s back and determined to battle for his girl. But, from the sidelines, someone watches. Someone who’ll do just about anything to keep them apart. Their second chance might be over before it even begins…

Why Not Me?


Ashley Erin - 2018
    All of her boxes are checked off.Sweet boyfriend? Check.Awesome job? Check.Great friends? Check.Life is going according to plan. That is until the man who broke her heart seven years ago comes crashing back into her life.Suddenly those checked boxes no longer seem important.Her once neat life is now in turmoil as she’s caught between a past love and a current one.A choice between two men. One is her best friend and partner for the past six years. The other makes her heart race, but he left her shattered.One is safe, secure.The other is a risk she doesn’t know if she’s willing to take . . . again.